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Nabat Jafarova,
Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor
Department of Azerbaijani Language and Teaching Technologies
Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University
Baku, Azerbaijan
ORCID: 0000-0003-0684-9374
https://10.5281/zenodo.21461258
Abstract. Developing independent, creative youth is one of the most important tasks facing schools. After all, an independent state needs capable, talented people. They are considered the driving force of society. The role of prudence in developing research skills is significant. This approach teaches students to accurately use other thinking methods, independently operate with grammatical concepts, and thus acquire relevant research skills. In-depth study of the Azerbaijani language expands students’ research capabilities. Within this subject, students become closely acquainted with the sound system, vocabulary, stylistic and grammatical features of their native language, and have the opportunity to examine examples created in scientific, artistic, journalistic, and other styles. At the same time, their potential for better mastery of other subjects they will study in this language is expanded. In this context, the speech skills established in the content standards can be assessed as meta-skills, or information retrieval skills.
Thus, to write a creative paper or prepare an essay on a specific topic, a student must possess information retrieval skills and a broad vocabulary. Students with strong information retrieval skills acquire complete, clear, and systematic information about literary material, along with independence, freedom of judgment, and excellent grammatical knowledge. Students’ search and research skills guarantee the satisfaction of their creative needs. Developing a mechanism for implementing information retrieval in students should be considered a factor in developing their self-confidence.
Keywords: student, researcher, ability, talent, thinking methods, creative youth
Introduction
Putting forward the idea of implementing reforms in education and creating a modern system, as well as defining strategic directions in this area, the national leader of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev, said: «Education is the future of the nation!», «Education is the locomotive of cultural development», «A highly cultured people will always develop, will always move forward.»
The words of the national leader Heydar Aliyev about the role of the teacher in education have become a slogan today: «I do not know of a name on earth higher and more honorable than the name of the teacher», «Azerbaijani teachers are the most honorable people, standing in the vanguard among the most advanced intellectuals of our people.» In our country, reform programs, issues of educational education, etc. are concepts aimed at the development of education. Teachers creatively apply the educational system and expand the research and creative capabilities of students. Modern education requires not only the transfer of knowledge, but also the development of certain skills and habits, research and creative abilities. Developing students’ thinking is a crucial factor in developing them as researchers. The primary benefit of a professional teacher during the learning process is that it enhances students’ cognitive activity, challenges them to think, and guides them toward independent decision-making. Cognition and thinking are essential human qualities. Above all, they encompass all aspects of personality and regulate their activity. Through cognitive activity, students develop logical, critical, and creative thinking.
Thinking accelerates the process of understanding educational material and significantly facilitates its assimilation. The knowledge acquired in this way becomes solid and long-lasting.
Student research is one of the main advantages of modern education, and it also develops their search and research skills. Experience shows that discussing various ideas during thinking activities strengthens students’ ability to discuss and formulate sound conclusions. The «I teach you» principle in the classroom, rather than «we learn together,» fosters a sense of partnership, friendship, respect, and love between teachers and students. Student-centered learning enhances students’ cognitive, creative, and research abilities, as well as their interest in the subject matter. As a result, this increases student engagement in the learning process and reduces psychological stress.
Main part. RESEARCH ABILITIES ARE DEVELOPED THROUGH ACTIVITIES
If the learning process is properly structured, students’ talents and research abilities will be revealed and developed more quickly. Therefore, the teacher is the first to enter the mysterious, wonderful world of students. A teacher helps students correctly identify their research skills, approaches them individually, and guides their development in the right direction. A teacher is someone who fosters students’ interest in science, research skills, thinking style, and adaptability to life. In language learning, to awaken interest in areas other than research and creativity, it is essential for the subject teacher to make the learning process vibrant. Various teaching methods are used today to identify talented students and develop their research abilities. Among these, methods that engage students in research are of the greatest importance.
To achieve this, the teacher must identify the area in which each student is talented. Taking into account all of the students’ characteristics, engaging them in research is extremely beneficial to unleash their creative potential. Developing research abilities in the right direction can lead a student to greater success in the future. However, it is important to remember that engaging each student in research and inquiry requires the use of appropriate methods. Teachers must be aware of which methods and techniques are useful for developing students’ research abilities. Experience shows that the use of interactive teaching methods in this work leads to successful results. It can be assumed that graduate students should be independent, freely express their thoughts, and not be afraid to make mistakes. A student’s independence demonstrates their ability to freely express their thoughts in the future. This opens up a wide range of research opportunities in both Azerbaijani language and mathematics classes. Interdisciplinary communication can develop students’ research abilities in both disciplines, or students can independently determine which discipline they want to master in depth and in which they will excel.
At the same time, it should be noted that the purpose of selecting and working with texts in Azerbaijani language classes differs significantly from other disciplines, leading to differences in the methods and techniques used for reading texts. In other disciplines (e.g., natural sciences, history, etc.), the texts presented to students require them to assimilate and memorize a specific topic, key facts, and related information.
Therefore, these texts are primarily purely informative and contain irrefutable information, confirmed by science. The goal of the Azerbaijani language course is not only to read and understand the text (actual perception, drawing conclusions), but also to analyze it in terms of content, ideas, structure, and style, as well as to express attitudes toward the facts and events contained therein. This paves the way for oral and written communication after reading or listening. Thus, the Azerbaijani language course uses not only informative texts but also argumentative, polemical, and evaluative ones.
Language is a system of phonetic, lexical, and grammatical means used for communication between people. Language is the primary tool for expressing thoughts and feelings and is closely linked to thinking, as language cannot exist without thinking, and thinking cannot exist without language. The use of research skills is the main topic of cognitive process research.
It should be noted that the teacher must be a researcher. The development of these research skills directly depends on how and by what means student engagement is enhanced and strengthened in the classroom. The most important task facing schools and teachers is to develop students who are able to freely express their thoughts and ideas anywhere and anytime, and who are capable of making independent judgments. Today, lessons must be structured to maximize student engagement. In this regard, Z. Veisova notes that the essence of the new approach to the educational process lies in the fact that education is not limited to enriching students’ memory with new scientific knowledge. At the same time, the main goal is the independent acquisition and assimilation of knowledge, the development of important skills and habits, as well as personal qualities and abilities based on the continuous development of thinking. In this process, students learn to determine cause-and-effect relationships between facts and events, identify patterns, draw conclusions and generalize, studying specially selected and easily understandable educational materials under the guidance of a teacher (Veisova, 2007).
RESEARCH STAGES
Students should gradually master the stages of research. They should know that the first stage involves collecting materials, the second stage involves summarizing and grouping the collected materials, and the third stage involves reaching a conclusion. After identifying the abilities and talents of a student who identifies with independence and creative qualities in the learning process, it is necessary to engage them in extracurricular activities. Competitions that stimulate creativity are the foundation of such activities. The teacher is a guide on the path to knowledge acquisition, and the student is a researcher, a discoverer of knowledge. During the development of the study, the following key features of interactive methods were identified:
• creating a consciously perceived problem situation;
• stimulating students’ active research in solving the problem situation;
• creating conditions for students to freely acquire, explore, and assimilate new important knowledge.
It should be noted that the lexical meaning of the word «interactive» means based on interaction. Interactive learning is based on the theory of constructivism. According to this theory, students do not passively acquire knowledge, but rather construct and assimilate it through active engagement (Piaget, 1970; Vygotsky, 1978). In this model, the teacher plays the role of facilitator-leader; students work independently and in groups; the learning process is built on interaction and collaboration. Interactive methods as a pedagogical concept actually include methods based on interaction. This implies creative, free research, scientific-cognitive, and educational activities of the student under the guidance of the teacher. Interactive learning is based on enriching students’ memory with new scientific knowledge (information), as well as on the regular development of their thinking, creative thinking, research skills, the ability to acquire and assimilate new knowledge, and the ability to conduct research. Thinking and research activities are supported in the process of knowledge acquisition. Research shows that interactive teaching and working with students imply the following:
• development of thinking;
• creative application of knowledge;
• independence, freedom of thought, etc.
Schools use various methods and techniques to develop students’ research skills. The modern educational process is based on the requirements of new subject programs, or more precisely, curricula. Based on these requirements, the educational process emphasizes the development of students’ creative thinking and research skills. Thinking is formed on the basis of linguistic material. Language is also a manifestation of thinking. Students have their own language of thought, and when they think and reason, they use words and sentences. Thinking is based on the language used to convey this idea to another person. Even when students think the same ideas, the words and sentences expressing these ideas may be different, meaning that each student may have unique words and sentences. To develop and develop students’ creative thinking and research skills, it is necessary to provide them with information about the laws of thinking. The laws of thinking are studied through logic. At the same time, it is necessary to explain the laws of language (grammar) to students.
J. Devi (1938) also notes that learning is not limited to the transmission of theoretical information; students must learn through experience and engage in solving real-world problems. This approach is one of the key ideas behind modern interactive teaching methods. In lessons organized using the interactive method, both the teacher and students are active participants in the learning process.
Azerbaijani educators have also emphasized the importance of using interactive teaching methods in education. They believe these methods develop students’ independent thinking skills and increase their motivation for learning (Alizade, 2010; Huseynov, 2015).
To this end, if we look closely at the motivation presented in grades 1-4 of the MMV, simple motivational tools for first-grade alphabet and calligraphy consist of pictures, questions, proverbs, and parables. However, primary school specialists have prepared and presented to schools motivational examples consisting of varied and interesting pictures for teaching reading and writing. These are the models, and listening texts are also examined according to these models:
• Reading
• Writing
• Spelling
• Expressing thoughts
• Problem-solving task
• Assignment
• Logical question
• Poster
• Event
• Proverbs
• Various tasks
• Hypothesis question
• General discussion
• Teacher’s words
• Symbols on the board
• Brainstorming
• Diagrams
• Charts
• Speech
• Teacher’s reading
• Integration with mathematics
• BIBO
• Word associations
• Rhythmic music
• Meaning deduction
• Map of Azerbaijan
• Crossword
• Diversity
• Individual work
• Game
• Microphone
• Storytelling
• Listening
• Game «Exchanging Fairy Tales»
• Writing on the spot
• Continuation
• Expressive reading
• Presentation preparation
• Evaluation, etc.
Each or most of the models mentioned are repeated at least 5-10 times as methods, techniques, and tools. Twenty-eight of them are used as motivational models. This approach is particularly effective in Azerbaijani language lessons, as language learning requires practical activities (Gasimov, 2012).
Conclusion
Interactive teaching methods are based on teacher-student interaction and ensure students’ active participation in the learning process. These methods enable students to develop critical thinking skills, research potential, creativity, and communication skills. The use of interactive methods in Azerbaijani language lessons creates the conditions for more effective development of students’ language skills.
One of the main goals of the modern education system is not only for students to acquire theoretical knowledge but also to develop the skills to apply this knowledge in practice. In the general education system, the Azerbaijani language is not only a means of communication but also a bearer of national and moral values, culture, and national identity. As a result of educational reforms and curriculum reforms, student-centered learning has become a key focus. This approach aims to increase student engagement in the learning process, developing their skills in research, thinking, and independently formulating conclusions.
The primary goal of developing students’ research skills is to obtain objective information about the effectiveness of the learning process. Thus, cognitive activity associated with innovation and research skills is an indicator of students’ level of engagement in the learning process. Teachers foster the effective and efficient application of knowledge and skills in practical activities by reviewing acquired knowledge and skills. When developing research skills, it is advisable to work on students’ cognitive activity, emphasize their ideas when answering questions, create conditions for their independence, and prioritize the establishment of subject-subject dialogues.
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